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Ghosts of Rome (1961)

Ghosts of Rome (1961), directed by Antonio Pietrangeli, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Belinda Lee.

04/01/1961 BR Comedy and Fantasy 1h 36m

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Synopsis

An old prince lives in his ancient palace in Rome together with the ghosts of his ancestors. For years he has proudly rejected huge offers by a real estate group seeking to buy the palace and build a department store in its place, but when he suddenly dies his nephew signs the deal. The palace seems lost, but the ghosts forge a plan to save it from destruction.

  • Giuseppe RotunnoCinematography
  • Antonio PietrangeliDirector, Screenplay, Story
  • Eraldo Da RomaEditing
  • Franco CristaldiProducer

About the film

Ghosts of Rome (Italian: Fantasmi a Roma) is a 1961 Italian comedy film directed by Antonio Pietrangeli. It was released in the UK in 1964 as The Phantom Lovers.

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Ghosts of Rome (Italian: Fantasmi a Roma) is a 1961 Italian comedy film directed by Antonio Pietrangeli. It was released in the UK in 1964 as The Phantom Lovers.

Plot

Count di Roviano refuses to sell his palace to a developer, despite having no money. He lives with ghosts: Ronaldo, a lady's man, Bartholomew, a friar, Flora, who died with love, and a five year old boy.

The Count is blown up by his water heater and joins the ghosts. His nephew Federico inherits the castle and moves in with his girlfriend Eileen, intending to sell it. The ghosts call in an artist friend, Caparra, and try to get him to finish a painting so the castle is declared a national monument.

Cast

Marcello Mastroianni - Reginaldo / Federico di Roviano / Gino

Vittorio Gassman - Caparra, pittore del '600, rivale del Caravaggio

Belinda Lee - Eileen

Sandra Milo - Donna Flora

Eduardo De Filippo - Don Annibale, Principe di Roviano

Claudio Gora - Ing. Telladi

Tino Buazzelli - Father Bartolomeo

Franca Marzi - Nella

Ida Galli - Carla

Lilla Brignone - Regina

Claudio Catania - Poldino

Michele Riccardini - Antonio, tailor and doorman

Enzo Cerusico - Admirer

Nadia Marlowa

Luciana Gilli - Girl in the park (as Gloria Gilli)

Enzo Maggio - Fricandò

Graziella Galvani - Mathematics teacher

Production

Nino Rota did the music. A writer on Rota's career analysed the score, saying that:

The music for the credits... is supplied first by a sprightly modern jazz combo, then by a barrel organ. This is appropriate for a film that is about the present and the past in two ways: ghosts occupying a palazzo in present-day Rome, and the destructive attempts of its new owners to modernise it, attempts thwarted by the ghosts. However, the ghosts’ motifs are not always played on old instruments; while on their first appearance in the film, each one’s motif is so introduced... this often gives way to jazziness... This play with motifs and instrumentations continues throughout the film and is appropriate: the ghosts are not anti-modern; they enjoy playing about in modern-day Rome while also wishing to preserve the inheritance of (their) past.

Reception

Variety said "pic is quaint but bogs down after some inventive early passages... special effects are good but without the film pacing to make them captivating throughout. Obvious phantoms soon get repetitive."

One review called it "a jolly little Roman fantasy." The Spectator called it "a cheerful surprise."

The Monthly Film Bulletin called it an "inoffensive comedy has a theme too slight and too lacking to be anything other than tedious when treated at such length."

Sight and Sound called it "a fragile fantasy". Filmink called it "entertaining".

Awards

Eduardo De Filippo won Best Supporting Actor at the 1961 San Francisco Film Festival.

References

External links

Ghosts of Rome at IMDb

Film page at BFI

Text from Ghosts of Rome on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_of_Rome

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  • Rome

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What is Ghosts of Rome about?

Ghosts of Rome: An old prince lives in his ancient palace in Rome together with the ghosts of his ancestors. For years he has proudly rejected huge offers by a real estate group seeking to buy the palace and build a department store in its place, but when he suddenly dies his nephew signs the deal. The palace seems lost, but the gho…

Who directed Ghosts of Rome?

Ghosts of Rome was directed by Antonio Pietrangeli in 1961.

Who stars in Ghosts of Rome?

The cast of Ghosts of Rome includes Marcello Mastroianni, Belinda Lee, Sandra Milo, Eduardo De Filippo and Claudio Gora.

How long is Ghosts of Rome?

Ghosts of Rome runs for 96 minutes, or 1h36.

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Page updated on 09/14/2026.

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